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Palazzo dei Notai

Where Notaries once Notated

Built in 1287 and renovated by Antonio di Vicenzo, this palace was built to house Bologna's guild of notaries, one of whom, Rolandino Passageri, established the legal basis of the comune in 1282 with the Sacred Ordinances. This put the guild in charge of the city's republican administration and of enforcing communal authority, replacing an elite coalition of bankers and merchants. The notary guild's coat of arms still emblazons the façade.

As important as it was to Bologna's history, the building had been rebuilt several times and looked more like a ruin until it was completely restored in 1908 by Alfonso Rubbiani. If you manage to get in still has some of its 15th-century frescoes.

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Piazza Maggiore

Hours Open only during special exhibitions

Medieval Art and Architecture

Palazzi in Bologna

Text © Dana Facaros & Michael Pauls

Image by Georges Jansoone, Creative Commons License